


The Mountains of Hashkath

by ofunaq



Category: Wayfarers Series - Becky Chambers
Genre: F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-17
Updated: 2019-12-17
Packaged: 2021-02-25 22:34:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21833017
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ofunaq/pseuds/ofunaq
Summary: Rosemary and Sissix return to Hashkath for a holiday in the mountains.
Relationships: Rosemary Harper/Sissix Seshkethet
Comments: 9
Kudos: 54
Collections: Yuletide 2019





	The Mountains of Hashkath

**Author's Note:**

  * For [nomeancity](https://archiveofourown.org/users/nomeancity/gifts).



The wind whipped through Rosemary’s hair, and the cliff edge dropped away in front of her. She pushed aside the visceral fear in her gut. This was nothing like the heights of Olympus Mons on Mars, not nearly as exposed as the Fishbowl, the giant, bubble-like window on the _Wayfarer_ , looking out into the vacuum of space. But however she tried to rationalise it, she couldn’t stop imagining herself being blown over the edge, carried on the wind like a leaf, then dashed on the rocks far below.

Just ahead, Sissix looked back and caught her eye, and suddenly nothing else mattered. The way Sissix’s feathers fluttered in the wind, the way Sissix’s bare feet flexed as she easily negotiated the rocky path. Rosemary felt a familiar flutter in her breast, and hurried to catch up. As Sissix put an arm round Rosemary’s shoulder, she nuzzled her cheek, and the walking holiday seemed like a good idea after all.

  


They’d been planning this trip for nearly a standard. Rosemary loved to hear Sissix tell stories of Hashkath, and her family and friends who still lived there. She could also see the wistful look in her eyes, and her longing for more Aandrisk company. So when Sissix had suggested a trip to her home world together, Rosemary had been supportive, but wary.

‘Sissix, I’m not sure I want to go to a _tet_.’

Sissix laughed. ‘Humans. All you think about is sex. Which is ironic, considering how much effort you seem to put into building social rules to keep people apart. Other things are important to Aandrisks too. It’s one of the things I love about my feather family on the _Wayfarer_ , the places we discover and the stories we make together. But I still miss the people there, seeing the stars from Hashkath, with Theth high in the sky, my thighs aching after a day in the mountains.’

And so it had been decided. Sissix had organised tents and heat blankets and everything else, and a company of seven friends to join them. Rosemary had been practising her Reskitkish at every opportunity for months, and all of the Aandrisks had at least a smattering of Klip, but she was still nervous.

Once they’d arrived and set up their tents at a small campsite beside a stream, Sissix laid out a map and started to make plans for the day. As the others casually crowded around with such unabashed intimacy and affection, Rosemary felt an unexpected pang of jealousy rise in her chest. But at the same time, she knew that this was why she’d come in the first place, to try to catch a glimpse of Aandrisk life from the inside. After much discussion, and some dubious looks at her hiking boots, they’d decided to split the party, and take two routes up to the summit, one very craggy and direct, and a longer route on easier paths for Rosemary, Sissix and two of the smaller Aandrisk males. And as Sissix explained the details of the route, Rosemary could easily picture her back on the _Wayfarer_ , charting the fastest routes between systems to get to their next tunnelling job, and another piece of the puzzle that was Sissix’s life slotted into place.

  


‘Are you sure it’s OK with you?’ Sissix’s voice interrupted her reverie.

Last night had been blissful, cuddled up with Sissix in their tent. After a long day’s walk, Sissix’s deft fingers on her aching thighs, exquisitely precise at finding the most tender spots where the muscles bunched up, making her gasp as the whole world narrowed into sweet agonies of release. And from outside the tent, the muffled sounds of their Aandrisk companions’ lovemaking, reconnecting by the warmth of the fire.

Tonight, it could so easily be the same again. But, for reasons that Rosemary couldn’t quite explain to herself, she didn’t want it to be. She wanted Sissix to be part of the fireside circle, to be free to be with someone else. Not so much because Sissix wanted it (though Rosemary had no doubt about this), not because Rosemary had to prove a point, but because … something about the thrill that Rosemary felt to see Sissix happy, something about wanting the world to know first-hand how amazing Sissix was, something about wanting to see the whole world through Aandrisk eyes. Yet Sissix was clearly still worried that she’d somehow pressured Rosemary into this.

‘Who knows, maybe I’ll come home with another feather too! I’m not _Issik_ anymore.’ Rosemary teased. Not likely, but Sissix would be happy at the thought, and she really needed to stop treating her like an egg-soft hatchling.

  


The rest of the day passed in haze of heat, long hours following the winding trail, breathtaking vistas, and frequents stops while the Aandrisks basked in the sun, and Rosemary tried to find some overhanging rocks that would offer some welcome shade. Her skin was starting to itch with incipient sunburn, and she tried to imagine what it must be like to moult like an Aandrisk.

That evening, after they’d cooked and eaten, Rosemary excused herself, not so much to escape the writhing pile of happy Aandrisks, as to find something to soothe her inflamed skin. Eventually, she found some cream, and came back out to rub it on by the warmth of the fire.

‘Can I help you with that?’ It was one of the Aandrisk males who had taken the easier route with her and Sissix. ‘Actually, wait a bit, I think I have a better idea.’

A minute later, he was back with a misting bottle. Rosemary sighed with relief, as he sprayed the medicated mist on her forearm. Stars, that felt better. As the sensitive skin on her neck reminded her that she’d forgotten to put suntan cream there too, a moment’s hesitation, then she stripped off her shirt.

The Aandrisk’s eyes widened. ‘I wasn’t expecting that. I’ve been trying to read up about Humans. Don’t you have strict rules about clothes? I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.’ As he said it, his hands wove a hand speak pattern that Rosemary was surprised to recognise, _I enjoy your company but I don’t want to have sex_.

Was this the end of the evening, or the beginning? Another spray of soothing mist, this time on her neck, and the knot of anxiety in Rosemary’s chest melted away, as he continued, ‘But I find you fascinating, and I really want to know more about you. Please tell me your stories of distant stars, and the mountains of Mars.’

  


Hours later, the sunburn was a distant memory, and Rosemary felt a new glow in her chest, in the intimacy of shared stories. As the fire turned to embers, snug as they shared a heat blanket, they wove their stories of the stars together.


End file.
